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New Mobile Apps Lets You Track Your Kids School Bus

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By David Gutbezahl

TMCnet Contributing Writer

Anxious parents can now stalk their child's school bus routes through a mobile app. Student Transportation Inc., a provider of school bus services, recently announced that they will be rolling out their new SchoolWheelsSafeStop service across the United States. The SchoolWheelsSafeStop service will provide an app for parents, students and schools with access to information that can pinpoint the exact location of a school bus during its routes. This app will provide real-time information and can even provide alerts for when students reach their destinations.

The app was developed by Student Transportation Inc's Technology and Innovation group in 2013, and tested in Brevard County, FL. with local charter schools serviced by the company's subsidiary, SchoolWheels Direct.

“The school bus arrival time guessing game will end for busy parents using our app as we continue to roll out our mobile platform across North America," said Keith Engelbert, Student Transportation Inc.'s chief technology officer. "We developed this app to meet the needs of parents, students and school staff who value the security of knowing their child is transported safely to and from school every day. SafeStop provides a level of safety and security that gives parents peace of mind.

Parents, students and schools will be able to access the app from any Internet connected device. Once connected, they will be shown a map displaying the location of the bus. The app will also provide details regarding traffic and weather delays.

"Unlike other web-based tracking products currently in use, SafeStop is native to multiple mobile operating systems and can be deployed with existing routing and tracking systems," Engelbert said. "We serve over 375 school districts throughout North America, so we designed our service to work with numerous routing and GPS platforms currently on the market."

Of course, for safety reasons, not just anyone can use the app. Parents will need to register to use the app through the company's website.

Student Transportation Inc. intends on installing the new system in school districts across the country over the next year. The first school districts that will receive SchoolWheelsSafeStop will be in Florida, South Carolina, California and Illinois.